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Thursday, January 28, 2016

To be honest, I haven’t really worked on fiction writing since the middle of November. That’s about 90% because I’m distracted with having a baby soon (Due a week from today! Eeh!) and 10% because my critique partner has been reading my WIP as I write, and, well…I got stuck on a scene and didn’t know where to take it next and was afraid that I would mess it up and write something that totally sucked and then disappoint my talented and smart critique partner. Whew. So instead of figuring out the scene I’m stuck on, I’ve put all of my energy into nesting and other preparation for my upcoming family addition. That’s easier because there’s no messing up a cleaning or organization project. I mean, you just do it until it’s done. Cut and dry.

But figuring out a fictional scene? That’s unchartered territory. The scene could go anywhere and be anything. Which is cool, but also scary because of the expectation. Dun dun dun! My critique partner is so nice and helpful that even if I gave her a doggy doo doo scene, she’d encourage and help me. But over time, my expectations went from, "This is sort of a first draft, so it might not be great, but let's have fun anyway!" to...

Nope.

I can never show this.

It makes sense that the pressure to deliver perfect words right off the bat could squelch creativity since part of being creative is making messes. But did you know that even sharing an idea or goal too early can suck the fun out and leave you unmotivated? I read an article recently that said we feel the same sense of accomplishment from talking about something as we do from actually doing the thing. And if you feel accomplished, what’s pushing you? The suggestion was to keep your goal or idea private until you’ve actually made progress.

When it comes to writing, does that mean we should keep book ideas secret? Should we keep our words hidden until we write “the end?” At what point is it okay to share? Because on one hand, sharing my book with my critique partner as I wrote back in November kept me excited and accountable every day. On the other hand, as soon as I was afraid to fail, I lost steam. Maybe it depends on the individual. Maybe it depends on whether you have a carefree “love me or hate me” personality or the kind of personality I have where you want people to like you and what you have to offer. Most likely, everyone could benefit from some balance of both sharing and keeping writing a secret. The trick is finding that balance.

So what do you think? Is it better to keep your ideas and writing private or to share? Which one helps you the most?

Sunday, January 24, 2016

There is one thing writers at any point in their career need to have prepared: an elevator pitch.

The last time I asked an author "what's your book about?" I got a fifteen minute rambling monologue. I know a lot about the guy's son (?) but still have no idea what his book is about. If I don't know what it's about, I'm not going to buy it.

Whether you're looking for an agent, on submission, or a multi-published author, you need to be able to quickly and concisely tell other people what your book is about. And you need to prepare so that you don't find yourself hemming and hawing the next time someone asks that golden question:

So, what's your book about?

Anytime someone asks you this question, that is an epic opportunity. They are literally giving you the ability to pitch your book without any awkwardness or resentment. Take it!

The sole purpose of an elevator pitch is to make the listener want to know more. Don't lose sight of that.

Here are ten tips to help you prepare your elevator pitch:

1) Take about 30 to 45 seconds to give the initial pitch. If they ask for more info or specific questions, that's the time to expand on your book, but don't talk for several minutes. (Reminder: your sole goal in an elevator pitch is to make the listener want to know more.)

2) Focus on story, not themes, emotional journeys, or background info. If you are pitching a published book to a reader, do not discuss your publishing path. If they want to know that, they will ask. Focus on your book.

3) Remember that you are a real person speaking to another real person. You should sound natural and conversational, not like you're memorizing something you've written.

4) You must include: genre, conflict, stakes. Most writers leave out the genre, but unless it's already obviously apparent some other way, start off with something like "Dragons are People, Too is a young adult urban fantasy about..."

5) Don't use any cliched phrases. Ex: "will never be the same," "more than he bargained for," "falls into the wrong hands," "to make matters worse," "will change everything." When you have such few precious words, don't use ones that can describe any hundreds of other books.

6) Be passionate. You can't expect others to be excited about your book if you are not.

8) Don't discount yourself. Do not, under any circumstances, say things like "oh, this probably sucks, but..." or "it's not that interesting.." Whatever you say, people are going to believe you, so if you tell them it sucks, they're already not that interested.

9) Consider comp titles and use them if they work really well for your book. For some books, comp titles don't work. Make an attempt, but be willing to drop this strategy if it's not working for your book.

10) Practice ad nauseum. Practice on your friends and family until they could give you the pitch themselves. When you get so comfortable with your pitch that you can mumble it flawlessly the second you wake up, that's when you're not going to freeze or mess up when asked the golden question by someone you truly want to impress.

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Recently I discovered that I was mentioned in Library Journal for my Upper YA/New Adult story DIVIDED as part of a genre spotlight on Romance. I completely acknowledge that I was very fortunate to have Library Journal pick up DIVIDED and talk about it in their Romance spotlight. There are definitely other authors who are taking NA to other places as well, and were doing so before me.

I loved the comment for my story. It's exactly what I wanted from branding my story as New Adult when I discovered it could be described as NA. But there were other things in the article that I think the industry needs to take note of to make sure that New Adult survives. My concerns are also echoed in the fact that some YA bloggers are refusing New Adult reviews because of the stigma that NA lacks diversity and has too much of a focus on sex.

New Adult is largely considered a genre, when it should be a category. For New Adult to have longevity it needs to be across genres. At the moment it's more considered a romance genre with a focus on college romances, and to a lesser extent two people who find sexual healing with each other. But, for me, it should mirror YA and Adult that cover off across all categories. And some of the most popular YA stories could easily be NA.

Many protagonists are about to turn 18 and/or are about to head to college, or sometimes are already in college. Quite often by the end of a YA series, the original protagonists are most definitely in the NA world. But these stories are still labelled as YA as the NA is still sitting in the realm of a genre rather than a category. Some examples of this are Were She Went by Gayle Foreman, Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, and the Kricket series.

In Australia, New Adult isn't really acknowledged at all. I was asked to make my character at high school instead of college by an agent so it could firmly be YA, as New Adult wasn't even a common term at the time I was querying it. This is why Rebecca Jame's novels Beautiful Malice, Sweet Damage and Cooper Bartholomew is Dead are technically considered YA.

The article talks about a NA plateau, with few debut NAs coming through and a saturated market. Unlike YA, the NA saturated market is dominated by contemporaries.

Books like Losing It did a lot for the category, and authors who were brave enough to take the self publishing plunge when the industry said there was no real demand for college stories.

For me, this time was one of the most interesting times of my life. And like a lot of other people in the NA age category, it wasn't dominated by university. I deferred, got married, fell pregnant, lost my job, went back to uni at 21 with a baby. And there's lots of other stories out there.

I've also noticed a lot of people's reading habits decline at this age, which could contribute to the perceived lack of demand. But is this because the readers don't find themselves represented in stories. Then there is also the fact that children and teens often read up and books set straight after graduation give them insight into what's to come.

Originally when I wrote Divided I'd never heard of NA. Thankfully City Owl Press is a forward thinking publisher who saw that NA can branch out beyond the contemporary realm, as have a lot of other indie publishers and authors.

Ultimately the fate of New Adult is in the hands of the readers, who can with their buying power show the publishing industry whether or not they want this genre to expand into a category that can stand on it's own long-term.

Sharon M. Johnston is an author and public relations specialist who lives in sunny Queensland, Australia.
She has been a Pitch Madness host for the past few years, and is also a Pitch Wars mentor.
Her New Adult Sci Fi Romance, DIVIDED: An Open Heart Novel Book 1, is out now with City Owl Press.

Saturday, January 16, 2016

In December, I listed a bunch of 2015 titles I hoped would find their way to me. Santa obliged with a few, but of there are still more books - and brand new 2016 release - I just cannot wait to read. Here are the top 5 books I'm dying to get my hands on:

And finally, a very special mention of my friend's book, which I've actually already read back before copyedits. I cannot wait for the world to read Louise's book, and to hold a shiny hardcover in my own hands so I can reread this little gem of a novel...

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Authors are often instructed to "write what you know." Sometimes, this idea seems preposterous. Books about murder, mayhem, and thievery aren't written solely by criminals... or are they?I decided to consider the books I've written--what did I know and what did I have to research?

For HOW TO DATE DEAD GUYS:Things I knew:- The real setting- the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire- The Chippewa River - cuts right through the campus, where one of the main characters loses his life
- The loneliness of being raised an only child.

The beautiful and dangerous Chippewa River

Things I had to research:- Witchcraft - although readers have inquired if I'm a witch myself, the truth is that I heavily researched the subject to make the book as "fictionally accurate" as I could- Drowning statistics- Smiley Face Murder Theory - research into this topic scared me at times- Gang Life - research into this topic freaked me out even more

Things I had to research:- What would be a logical winning time for a 1/2 marathon in a dystopian future where people were limited to running on treadmills? (The fact that I had to research this number reveals the truth that although I do run a lot, I don't run mega-fast.)

For AN OCCASIONALLY GRIM FAIRY TALE:Things I knew:- The sudden, overwhelming strength of the mother-child protective bondThings I researched:- Plant based medicineThe point I'm trying to make is that (most likely) every book involves some research and some inner knowledge. Perhaps the inner knowledge forms the heart of the book, and the research fleshes out the appendages.I've found that books where I didn't need to research as much (Dead Girl Running) are written that much faster. But I also find research into interesting subjects quite fascinating, so I don't have a favorite method of writing.I welcome your thoughts on the matter in the comments below.

About the Author - Ann M. NoserGrowing up an only child, I learned to entertain myself. During summer vacations, my greatest form of exercise consisted of turning the pages of a book. Now I'm all grown up and full of stories half-written in my head. I have to write them down so I can find out what happens next.Contact info/how to find me:BLOGFACEBOOK PAGETWITTERGOODREADS PAGE

Sunday, January 10, 2016

So it's time for my seasonal greeting to you all - Happy New Year YATopians!Well, where to begin? Another year has rolled around and we're divided into three camps:1) Those sparkling full of new promises and resolutions.2) Those ruminating over last year and not quite feeling the buzz for the coming 12 months.3) And those who couldn't care either way.So what does this all mean for us lofty writers? Well, it means that we're all swimming in the samewriting waters. We might be at different places than each other, but we can see each other over the white tips of the waves.

If nothing else, we should look at the new year not in a stressful way. We should look at it as a way to build upon what we have - whether that is craft skills, publishing goals, or simply to do what it is that we enjoy - writing.

I have one tip for anyone continuing their writing journey this year: PASSION. For those sparkling with new promises - make sure you keep your passion alive no matter the day, week, month or year. Don't stress yourself. Make sure the passion is more important than the goal. Don't let your writing become a circle of fighting to meet goals to the detriment of your enjoyment of the written word.For those ruminating on last year and feeling a little down in the dumps - think hard about why the negative events/thoughts/reactions are impacting so much on you doing what it is you love. Yes, you might have ambitions and dreams you haven't achieved, but that shouldn't take pride of place over the wonderful written word you are creating and growing into a magnificent story. Enjoy your art, love your words, and let the excitement of what you do wash over you.

For those who don't care either way - perhaps you are the luckiest of all. Perhaps you are continuing to float along in a blissful wave of happy writing and contented storytelling. And if you are, great. And if you're not, why not let your mind wander and find the story that grabs you and stirs up the muse and the excitement in your gut.So, my fellow YATopians, let's imbue our writing world with all the passion that we have.Happy 2016!

Fiona McLaren is a displaced Scot living on the sunny island of Cyprus. She's an author, scriptwriter, and bibliophile, who participates in contests such as Pitch Wars.
The most important things in her life are her boys, her family, and her partner...and lots and lots of books!
She's represented by the wonderful literary agent Maura Kye-Casella at Don Congdon Associates.

Friday, January 8, 2016

I have a problem. Or I at least used to think I had a problem. Now, thanks to my
readership, I see it as more of a blessing. I’m not sure that’s the right word,
but there it is. So my problem blessing is that I can’t help
but remove clothes when I’m writing. Before you get carried away or think me a
total nutcase, I don’t mean my own. I definitely do not sit butt naked in front
of my computer! It’s when I write. I’ve previously talked about how the
Bearwood series was initially written to target the young adult market, but due
to my need to add somewhat detailed steam (that goes beyond what is expected in
YA), I ended up rewriting it as NA, which worked pretty well for me. I like a
little spice in my books, actually, I LOVE writing steam. Currently, I’m
writing another book set to be a set of standalone in a series, and all of them
will be what some deem ‘smut’. Now I’m not an erotica writer, although I could
probably give it a fair whack, but I do like my paranormal or contemporary
romances to have a lot of heat.

So why am I
writing about this on YATopia? Good question! Well, while transferring files
from an old computer to a new one, I stumbled across my 2014 nanowrimo project,
a NA Dystopian. I started reading it and for once when I read an early version
of my own work, I didn’t think it totally sucked. It needs work, for sure!
Actually, it needs a total overhaul as I intend to change some major things and
turn it into a sci-fi rather than a dystopian.

One of the
things that I noticed was that, once again, I had added steam to it. Typical of
me, but I also thought I knew when a steamy scene needed to be in a book and
when it didn’t. For my PNR, I included them when emotions were running high and
when there was an actual point to having them there. They belonged. But this
nanowrimo project that I found, the sex is without a doubt out of place. Even
reading it, I can see myself that this book is a YA pretending to be NA. The
language is definitely geared toward older young adults, as are the small but
technical descriptions when it comes to the science behind their existence. The
sex just doesn’t need to be there—there is no place for it. Certainly the
emotional relationship the two share can be explored, but I don’t need to
include a detailed physical scene to do this.

The debate
on whether to include sex in YA books has been going for a while now. I support
the inclusion. Indeed, it has to approached with care, and it definitely can’t
be graphic, but for me this didn’t matter. The sex simply didn’t belong. And
that’s really what this post is about—knowing when to include it and when not
to. To me, the answer is really quite simple. If they belong there, if they
truly move your plot forward then that’s a-okay, but if there is no other
reason for them being there other than ‘they just are’, then maybe that
particular sex scene needs some rethinking.

To be honest, I’m not sure I’ll ever publish this book, but
I do intend to work on it, so part of that includes deciding whether there is a
place for sex in this book, and there isn’t.

Saturday, January 2, 2016

Day two of 2016. The year is still new. Still fresh. Still full of plans and promises. An opportunity for new beginnings, new goals, new successes. But where to start?

To quote Julie Andrews, "Start at the very beginning."

But for me, I don't really have any "beginnings" to start. I'm in the middle of several things, yet, for a couple of months, I've felt stuck in this middle. The middle of writing. The middle of indie publishing plans. The middle of a vast ocean with no sign of land. I haven't even been sure about which direction to row, so I've been sitting in my little boat, drifting over the waves, hiding from battering storms and blistering sun, ignoring all thing writing because I don't know which direction I should be rowing.

But it's time for new beginnings. It's time to start rowing.

In October, I decided to pursue indie publishing, and I haven't changed my mind. I might have felt adrift for a while, but it's time to pull out my compass and find my direction. And sometimes, going back to the beginning is the best way to find direction. I don't necessarily mean to start over, but taking the knowledge gained since starting out the first time and returning to step one, when the ideas were new and fresh. When hope and possibility felt endless. And harness that excitement and let it propel me straight through the middle.

Because while the beginning feels exciting, the ending will be so much sweeter.

Are there any projects you've felt stuck on? Let the promise of a new year and new beginnings give you a second chance.

YAtopia Team

We are ten writers passionate about Young Adult literature in all shapes and sizes. Check out our About Us page for details on all of our amazing contributors! Don't hesitate to contact us with questions or comments.